Bhopal:
Bird flu infection has been found in chickens of Kadaknath breed at a poultry farm in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, a veterinary department official said on Tuesday.
The farm is located at Rudi Panda village under Thandla Tehsil, he said.
”The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) Bhopal has confirmed the presence of H5N1 virus in the samples of Kadaknath chickens,” said Veterinary Department director Dr R K Rokde in an official letter.
Deputy director Wilson Dawar said further action was being taken as per the Union government’s action plan for dealing with the outbreak.
Vinod Meda, the farm owner, said he had got an order for 2,000 chicks of Kadaknath breed from former India cricket captain M S Dhoni last month, but they could not be delivered due to bad weather.
The black-winged and tan-blooded ‘Kadaknath’ chicken is known for its high iron content and low cholesterol, andsells at a much higher price than other varieties.
The farm had 550 full-grown chickens and over 2,800 chicks, and officials took all of them away for culling,Meda said.
The birds will be culled and buried in a pit, said Agriculture Science Center head and K S Tomar.
Bird-flu cases have been detected in Indore, Mandsaur, Agar, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain, Khandwa, Khargone, Guna, Shivpuri, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Vidisha, Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Ashoknagar, Datia and Barwani districts so far.
